This week’s dream: Falling in love again with Buenos Aires
Like a skilled tango partner, Buenos Aires “holds you in a close embrace that’s almost impossible to break,” said Anna Mazurek in The Washington Post. I first fell for Argentina’s “unique and irresistible” capital several years ago, fascinated by its fusion of European and Latin American cultures. In Buenos Aires, “dinner usually doesn’t start before 9 p.m., and afterward, people tango until sunrise.” Having not visited since 2018, I rented an apartment when the city reopened last November, eager to find out if that spirit had survived. When a friend visited, we took advantage of a sky-high inflation rate to dine at a discount at the finest restaurants. But I was just as excited to learn that La Cocina, a hole-in-the-wall shop that’s been serving excellent $1 empanadas for 45 years, had also survived the shutdown.
Between meals, Rolando and I explored— walking streets “lined with grand European palaces, cozy cafés, and endless parks.” French architect Carlos Thays designed many of the public spaces, including
Parque Tres de Febrero, home to two lakes, a planetarium, and a happy mix of joggers, in-line skaters, and loungers sipping caffeine-rich mate from gourd cups as they relax in the shade. We spent a morning strolling among the elaborate mausoleums in beautiful Recoleta Cemetery, near the National Museum of Fine Arts. From the cupola of Palacio Barolo, one of the city’s most beautiful buildings, we peered down on Plaza del Congreso and the Argentine parliament building.
“One of the best walks in the city is the
San Telmo Fair.” The lively outdoor art and antique market operates every Sunday, starting near Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires’ oldest public square. The rose-colored mansion of the country’s president sits on the plaza, as does the Metropolitan Cathedral, where the future Pope Francis regularly conducted mass. One day, we joined a Buenos Aires Street Art walking tour to explore some quieter neighborhoods and wound up appreciating the city’s diversity even more. “From the sleek skyscrapers of Puerto Madero to Palermo’s trendy wine bars, every part of town had an authentic charm, just like the people.”
At the luxurious Alvear Palace Hotel (alvearpalace.com), doubles start at $470.